Starting as stream of consciousness to start to build the outline of thought
Edit: this is fine, but really the core principle has to be a drive for Arab prosperity, and the how needs to be a new era of cooperation, learning, and adopting counterintuitive Jesus principles.
Edit: using this as springboard for A Doctrine of Arab Prosperity
I am immensely proud of the Arab world. Not because it is perfect - not even close - nor because it is mine (it is not), but because, for a period it has been mine. I feel a sense of pride every time I hear of an Arab who has succeeded in the United States (there are many). I feel a sense of pride every time I hear someone talk about how amazing Lebanese, or Moroccan, or Palestinian food is. I feel a sense of pride when I see an amazingly beautiful woman in a list of top models, whose name I recognize as clearly Arab.
It is not because of a lack of pride that I say this next then: the Middle East is in a terrible state. I don’t think many people would truly disagree - between failed revolutions, economic mismanagement and crises, and enduring conflicts, the Arab world is nowhere near thriving. Though I am proud of the Arab world, I will not defend its faults.
Nor will I use those faults to lay blame. I have heard and read the litany of excuses given at every opportunity - Western intervention, the meddling of various governments, the Israelis, colonialism, closed-door agreements decades old, corrupt officials, power-hungry politicians… But I will not blame any of those. I will make no excuse for the failings of the Middle East. It is useless to blame the past, to figure out exactly who did what and when and how and why. We have only ourselves to blame - even on an individual level. What have you or I done to make the Middle East a better place? Apparently, not enough.
It is time to take responsibility. No more excuses. Every great movement started with people who could have made every excuse. From persecuted minorities to peoples that were nearly wiped out, but came back stronger than ever. At every turn, those who chose excuses faded into obscurity. That is not the call of this missive.
No - today, we call for this: it is time to (re)build, to create something new and good that will shape the future of the region.
In order to do this right, there are deep seated beliefs that need to die, and new ones that need to take root. We will build, atop a foundation of principle. What we are trying to build is larger than any one of us, and will require deep sacrifice - sacrifice that would be impossible to justify without deep meaning underlying. One of the greatest ideals that I know is this: to love your neighbor as yourself. The following flow from this:
- Humility: if we already knew everything, we would not be in this state. We need to accept that others know more than us, and let go of the arrogance that prevents us from allowing their help. We have the opportunity to go to those who are best in the world at what they do, ask for their advice - but we must be ready to take it.
- Give without expectation of recompense: If we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, then helping ourselves or helping our neighbors should be one and the same. There is therefore no transaction - every bit of help is a net positive. We must all help, at every opportunity, those around us. And we must do it, not so that it may come back and help us, but because it is the right and good thing to do.
- Commit to your motives: I am making here public a pledge that I made many years ago, and one that I now invite others to join me in. I commit myself to this ideal, at the sacrifice of the potential wealth I might have had if I pursued money alone. Specifically, I will live on the average salary of the average Arab, and every amount I make above that will be given away. This may seem radical, because it is. This is not a pledge to give away 1 or 10% of my income - this is a cap on my income, not for a few years, but for my whole life. It is not a commitment I make lightly, but it is one I make gladly, because I believe in the underlying principles that drove me to this decision.
- It is better to try and fail, than not try at all: both in your efforts, and in the support you provide, value action, not success. One person’s success does not spread. But one person’s action is contagious, regardless of the outcome. Let us live in a society of doers, not of critics and cowards.
- Pragmatism above all else: choose what works. Let us not reward and punish based on nepotism, credentialism, or favoritism. What we build must be a meritocracy, so that the best ideas and execution can take proper place in the new world we build. The best ideas and the best people are the only ones that can collectively benefit everyone, regardless of title or family name or origin.
- Love your enemy: If we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, that includes our friends, but also our enemies. There has long been one enemy in the region that has drawn the fire of many Arab countries. I know full well the weight of these words, but it is time to put down our swords, because looking for ways to cooperate will help even us far more than war ever will. You carry the weight of the past, you worry about what the collective of your community will say, you fear the isolation that such a stand would take. But believe me, if you take this stand, you will not be alone. And it will take bold individuals to turn the tide, to bring the wealth that is in that country to the rest of the region. Edit: I’m realizing that there needs to be a real and solid moral foundation, both to give an anchor for others to trust in me, and to create in me an unshakable confidence - and this message, as the words of Jesus, is it.
What does this look like? Need something like the Inklings but for startup people. Intellectual spaces, where people engage in open debate. Can we create that space?
How do we create a bed of trust? Economic interlinking is necessary for anything to move forward, solidifies and strengthens any bond. But need preexisting trust for interlinking to happen.